Incomplete [Chapter 7]

[Chapter 6]

Izuku buzzed with excitement as he stood at the door of the children's home, taking deep breaths as he waited for them to answer the doorbell. Tiny, hurried footsteps came darting down the stairs, and he grinned when the door opened, Koharu peeking out under the woman's arm. He held his arms out without thinking, but Koharu dove into them without a second thought, and a wave of relief washed over him as he hugged her tight.

“I missed you too,” he laughed. “Did you have a good week?”

“Yeah! I did lots of drawing and we got to go to the park for preschool!”

“That's awesome, I'm glad you had a good time. Got everything you need?”

“Uh-huh! Yokkun is on his way down.”

She let him go in favour of picking up the little pink bag she'd dropped at the door, and for a moment he found himself concerned by how little she seemed to own. He could see the outline of a familiar camera inside and what he assumed was a bright pink sketchbook, but no water bottle, no IC card or cash, honestly maybe nothing but the camera. He hoped there was a pencil in there to use with her book, but he couldn’t even be sure.

Yoshiki joined them a lot more passively, and Izuku grinned when he looked up, waving. Yoshiki returned his little wave, then took Koharu's hand protectively, turning to bow to their caregiver.

“We'll be going, then.”

“Have a safe trip!”

Izuku thanked her politely as Yoshiki dragged Koharu down the front path, laughing again as he glanced back over his shoulder.

“Wait a moment, you two, I'll take you to the car.”

To his surprise, they both listened, immediately stopping at the front gates to wait patiently.

“They're good kids,” he said softly, smiling to himself. “I'm really glad I got the chance to meet them, it was like fate dropped this into our hands.”

“I hope you have a great day with them, good luck.”

“Thank you! I'm sure it'll be wonderful.”

She waved goodbye from the doorway and Izuku reached for Koharu's hand, silently relieved when she gripped him back with no hesitation. The car was parked across the street, so he kept a tight hold just in case, as they waited at the pedestrian crossing. Yoshiki stood at her other side, holding her just as protectively. Izuku already felt like he could trust the boy to be safe and be sensible with this sort of thing, he had the type of personality to inspire confidence, though he'd still be sure to keep an eye on him just in case. Koharu, on the other hand, seemed like at any moment she could run out into the street because she saw something sparkly.

“Hand on the car,” he instructed, when they reached the footpath on the other side. “Let me unlock it.”

Both of them seemed a little surprised by the direction, but obediently put a hand each on the car door as Izuku dug out his keys. They stayed there until he reached for the handle, letting them climb inside to sit on the brand new booster seats, and reached across to make sure they both buckled in safely.

“Do you have kids?” Yoshiki asked bravely.

“Huh? No, not uhh... Not yet. Why do you ask?”

“You seem... Um...”

His face wrinkled a little as he contemplated, and Izuku smiled.

“I'm kind of a nerd, I over-research everything. I've been looking up things like road safety to make sure I'm doing everything right with you guys. Is that what you were wondering?”

“Yeah.”

“I like to be prepared.”

Yoshiki nodded as if that answered every question he'd ever had, and Izuku smiled at him one more time before he rounded the car to hop in the driver's seat. He didn't drive nearly as often as Katsuki did; he enjoyed sitting back and relaxing, watching the way Katsuki looked when he focussed on operating the contraption, while Katsuki liked to be control. They'd both gotten their licenses as soon as they were old enough, just in case, and the little car had been one of their first purchases as a couple. To travel to far away rescues, had been the main purpose, like Katsuki had the weekend prior, or to pick up aging relatives and mentors when they visited. Thankfully he was perfectly capable of driving it, even if it made him nervous sometimes in the city, so when he pulled away from the curb it was smooth and seamless.

“How was your week, Yoshiki-san? Koharu-san told me about hers, did you do anything exciting?”

“Mm... Not really. School.”

“You don't like school?”

“Not really.”

“Oh, that's a shame. What about you, Koharu-san? Do you like your preschool?”

“Mostly! I like the trips and the games and things.”

“Yeah? That's good.”

“She just doesn't have friends,” Yoshiki mumbled, looking out the window to avoid them both. “She won't make any.”

“Yokkun is enough!”

“It might be nice to have friends in your class, too, right? You're allowed to have more than one friend.”

“I told you,” Yoshiki grumbled. “Make other friends, I can't be in class with you.”

“Mm... I'll think about it.”

When they got close to home, Izuku pulled up outside the train station to wait, and soon Katsuki was with them, throwing his gear bag into the boot of the car before he hopped in the passenger seat. He turned around to say hi before he’d even put his seatbelt on, getting a big grin from Koharu and a slightly awed look from Yoshiki, his eyes scanning over the scrapes and bruises on Katsuki’s hands.

“What do you guys want to do?” Katsuki asked, finally turning the right way around, to put his seatbelt on. “Sitting around all day would get boring in a hurry. Any ideas?”

Neither of them answered right away, glancing at each other, and Izuku smiled faintly as he looked at them in the rear view mirror.

“I know Koharu likes parks,” Izuku pointed out. “We haven't explored the area much, we just moved here, but we could try to find a good one.”

“Boring,” Katsuki thumped him in the shoulder. “We can do that any day. Let's do something exciting, like... A carnival. Amusement Park. Zoo?”

Both the kids lit up at the word, despite the way their gazes quickly dropped again, and Izuku exchanged a grin with Katsuki.

“Zoo sounds fun, what do you guys think?”

“Okay!” Koharu nodded enthusiastically. “If it's not too much trouble!”

“Wouldn't have suggested it if it was,” Katsuki pointed out. “Nothing is too much trouble. We have a car and an entire day to use up, we can do anything we want.”

“The zoo sounds good,” Yoshiki agreed. “Um, I've never been before.”

“Are you serious?!” Izuku gasped. “Oh my gosh, we're definitely going then. It's been far too long since I've seen a panda.”

“Lions are where it's at, nerd.”

“No way. I'm sorry, but you're wrong.”

“Oi! I'm never wrong.”

Izuku pulled up directions on his phone, and then they were off again, Katsuki surprisingly vocal as he chatted with the kids and asked them questions. It left Izuku free to focus on driving, extra careful knowing there were kids in the back, and soon enough they made it safely to a big parking lot. The zoo had only just opened for the day, after their early start, so it only took minutes to gather their things and get through the ticket booth, ready to see all the huge enclosures.

“Look at the pandas!” Koharu said, running immediately toward them, her eyes shining. “They're so big! I didn't know they were big!”

“What did you think they'd look like?” Yoshiki scoffed. “Cats?”

“They're so pretty! Hello Panda-san!”

Izuku grinned at them, reaching for Katsuki's hand as they followed. It had taken at least a year for them to brave the whole public-affection thing, but Izuku had quickly discovered two things.

One: Most people were far too polite to say something in public, even if they disapproved.

Two: Those who would normally be willing to speak up, generally backed off in the face of two top heroes who made no effort to conceal their real identities.

With that knowledge in mind, even though he occasionally felt a brief flash of awkwardness about it, Izuku had discovered that holding hands was the best thing in the world. Thankfully, Katsuki didn't tend to care about what people around them might think, so Izuku never had to fear being shoved off or rejected, he knew the moment he reached for Katsuki that their fingers would weave together and he'd be able to savour the warmth that Katsuki radiated.

“Elephants!”

Izuku laughed as Koharu ran off, Yoshiki close at her heels, whining at her to slow down and stop running off on her own. Izuku had a sneaking suspicion that he and Katsuki had looked like that too, as kids. Katsuki marching off on his own, Izuku trailing along behind, muttering about getting hurt or in trouble.

“Hey look, it's you,” Katsuki announced, elbowing Izuku and pointing off at the next exhibit down.

The kids were admiring the cute little otters, all shiny and soft looking, but not far away, staring them down, was the fluffiest owl he'd ever seen. Katsuki's finger pointed straight at it, at the mop of feathers on its head, and Izuku stifled a laugh.

“He's so cute! I'm honoured!”

“Idiot.”

Before long the kids were babbling and pointing at the next area, and Izuku nodded along, grinning to himself.

“Yeah, let's go!”

They stayed close this time, and when they reached the barrier Koharu pouted, standing on her tiptoes to try to peek over the top. Katsuki laughed, dropping Izuku's hand in favour of hoisting her up, sitting her on his shoulders to marvel down at the lions and tigers.

“Do you need a boost too, Yoshiki-san?”

“N-No! I'm okay!”

He held the handrail at the top and stood on his toes, the few inches of height between him and Koharu apparently enough for him to see the animals. A loud roar made him jump backwards, eyes wide, and Izuku touched his shoulder lightly, giving him a sympathetic look.

“It's okay, they can't get anywhere near you.”

“Y-Yeah.”

He elbowed Katsuki in the ribs when Yoshiki went back to looking, waiting for the red eyes to glance over at him before he said it.

“It's you.”

Katsuki turned to look at the massive lion yelling at his exhibit-mates, teeth bared, and snorted as he reached out to punch Izuku lightly.

“Yeah, he's super cool and the boss. King of the jungle, bitch.”

It wasn't until they reached the gorillas that the kids started to catch on, giggling when Katsuki and Izuku both pointed at the hairiest one, a massive leaf hanging out of its lips with a dopey look on his face.

“It's you!” they both exclaimed, laughing as they shoved each other playfully.

They spent a good three hours exploring the eastern end of the zoo, determined to see every seal and polar bear, every deer, even every bear, though Yoshiki seemed anxious the whole time they were at that exhibit. They spent half an hour at the monkeys alone, Koharu's eyes shining like it was the most incredible sight she'd ever seen, surrounded by little furry monkeys climbing bridges and swinging from posts. It wasn’t until her stomach began to growl that, with a little pout, she conceded maybe it was time for lunch.

They rode a monorail to the other side of the zoo, both kids pressed against the glass to watch the entire ride, and at the other end Katsuki produced a bag of food he'd prepared the night before, opening boxes that made Izuku's mouth water. Izuku handed out plates and utensils, insisting that the kids help themselves first, and soon they were all scoffing their lunch happily, containers and plates littering a wooden picnic table.

For a brief moment, Izuku forgot that the kids would have to go back in the evening. They were just one big, happy family on a trip to the zoo.

He grinned when a toddler waddled over to investigate, with the puffiest cheeks he'd ever seen, and waved to the little thing as his mother ran over. She apologised a dozen times, but Izuku just shook his head, assuring her that it was totally fine.

“He probably just wanted a cookie,” Izuku explained, gesturing with the one in his hand. “He can have one, if you don't mind, we have plenty.”

“No, no, we couldn't possibly, but thank you!”

“I insist,” Katsuki mumbled, offering her the container. “I'm gonna get sick if I eat them all myself.”

The little boy reached for the container, whining a little when he couldn't quite reach, and with another thousand apologies and thank yous, the mother accepted one for him to eat. His face immediately changed, lips curved into a smile as he tried to fit the whole thing in his mouth at once, and Izuku just laughed fondly.

“Enjoy it, little guy!” he waved as the mother excused them both. “Have a nice day!”

With lunch finished and the dishes packed away into Katsuki's bag again, they set off on the second half of their adventure. Two kangaroos were fighting in the back of their enclosure, the keepers trying to carefully split them up from a distance, but Izuku couldn't quite hold back his smirk.

“Hey,” he snickered, bumping shoulders with Katsuki. “It's you.”

“Yeah, and you're the one getting pummelled,” Katsuki retorted, bumping him back. “Idiot.”

Yoshiki mumbled something at Katsuki's side, pointing across the concrete path, and he crouched to get closer before he asked him to repeat himself, Yoshiki's face flooding pink as he pointed again.

“Both of you,” he mumbled. “Over there.”

Katsuki looked over to see two penguins on the edge of a rock castle, contemplating the water surrounding them; one bigger and broader, the other little and fluffy. He stopped just in time to see the larger one push his friend, watching him fall into the water with a splash, and the cackle that came from Katsuki at the sight was hardly human. It was oddly forceful, exploding from his lungs, and while Izuku looked at him in alarm, Yoshiki managed a tiny smile of his own.

“Now you're getting it, kid,” Katsuki laughed, wiping stray tears from his eyes that hadn’t been there a minute ago. “Perfect.”

Yoshiki blushed when Katsuki ruffled his hair fondly, looking away when Izuku stared at the pair of them in confusion, utterly lost.

“You ready to head to the next one?” Katsuki asked, still snickering a little as Koharu nodded and pointed toward the next area. “Do you think any of the zebras will be green?”

Yoshiki laughed, covering his mouth in a hurry, but Izuku gave up on trying to decipher them, sighing fondly as he followed Koharu onward.

─────

When Koharu was satisfied that she'd waved goodbye to each individual monkey, they made their way toward the park exit. A little souvenir store stood between them and their car, and Izuku caught a glimpse of Koharu's face, staring wistfully at something she'd spotted. He was about to get Katsuki's attention, about to silently ask him if they should stop, but when he saw the matching look on Yoshiki's face too, he didn't bother.

“You guys should have a look in here, pick something you like,” he said quickly, watching Yoshiki's eyes widen. “I’ll get you both a souvenir.”

“N-No, you don't have to,” Yoshiki answered politely, shaking his head. “You already brought us out today, that's already so much and we really appreciate it.”

“And next time that'll be it, but today was our first trip with you guys, I want you to have something to remember it.”

“Yeah, come on,” Katsuki agreed, leading the way toward the store. “Let's see what they've got, it looks like there’s a ton.”

Izuku understood the wistfulness the moment they stepped through the doors, spotting a display of plushies stretching from floor to ceiling. On one end were a thousand monkeys in all different sizes, and a little further down, a matching collection of hippos. Izuku expected them to look around, to see if there was something they liked better, but immediately both kids were standing in front of their favourites, staring up at the shelves in awe.

“You want a monkey of your own, huh?” Katsuki smiled, plucking one from the shelves to inspect it. “They're cute. The hippos too, is that what you want, Yoshiki?”

“You really don't have to get us anything, I don't want to be a burden.”

“You're not. Go ahead, choose your favourite.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“This one,” Koharu said firmly, plucking out a little monkey the size of her hand. “She's little like me.”

“Then I'd better get this one,” Yoshiki scooped out a little grey hippo, barely bigger than Koharu's monkey. “Since he's bigger.”

“Woah there,” Katsuki protested, watching their eyes widen nervously and mentally kicking himself. “If you're gonna play this game, we gotta do it properly.”

He contemplated the shelves, picking out a slightly bigger monkey and a tiny hippo first, then two much larger ones of each.

“There, now you have a whole family of monkeys,” he explained, plopping the monkeys in Koharu's arms despite the way they threatened to spill over, then turning to shove the hippos at Yoshiki. “And you've got a big family of hippos. Don't leave me and Deku out of this game.”

Yoshiki stared up at him like he might be messing with them, but Koharu didn't even seem to register the words, busy burying her face in fluffy monkeys. With a little smile Izuku turned away, leaving Katsuki to debate animal names while he picked up two tote bags with animal pictures on them, and a couple of pencils and erasers to match.

He took them up to the counter, gesturing toward the kids with their arms loaded with animals, and the lady at the cash register smiled as she began scanning them in. Katsuki nudged the kids toward him, getting the animals rung up too, and soon they were sitting side by side in their respective bags. Yoshiki and Koharu beamed when the lady handed them down, thanking her a thousand times, and both Izuku and Katsuki watched on fondly as they peeked inside at their spoils.

They'd made the right decision.

Koharu reached for Katsuki's hand as soon as they neared the parking lot, holding tight as they made their way through the cars, and soon both kids were safely in the back seat, belted in, Koharu already falling asleep with her bag of monkeys hugged close.

“This one is you,” Yoshiki informed him, as he climbed into the driver's seat. “He's spikier.”

“Good choice, he's the coolest one.”

Yoshiki giggled, and Izuku softened all over again at the sound, from a boy who had been so nervous with them all the way through. It was so free, so unabashed, and he leaned over to kiss Katsuki's cheek, hoping it might somehow convey his emotions. Katsuki seemed to take his point, reaching across to squeeze Izuku's thigh lightly in return as he started the car.

“Everyone buckled in?”

“Yup!”

“Everyone as hungry as I am?”

“Yup,” Izuku grinned. “Want to stop somewhere for food?”

“Yeah, sounds good. The diner?”

“Perfect.”

He drove them about ten minutes to a little joint they frequented after long patrols; somewhere warm and cozy, with good food and even better coffee, and more importantly at the time, somewhere that had been cheap in the days before they rose through the ranks. That didn’t matter anymore, other than paying off their home loan a little quicker than if they ate at five-star restaurants every night, but once Izuku and Katsuki decided they liked a place, they sure as hell stuck with it.

“Sorry sweetie,” Izuku said apologetically, as they pulled to a stop and Koharu rubbed her eyes sleepily. “We need to get food, are you hungry?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Come on then, let's go have dinner.”

The sun was already setting, and Katsuki took pity on the tired little girl, hitching her up onto his hip and closing the car door behind them. She smiled as she leaned into him, watching Izuku guide Yoshiki safely through the carpark, and Katsuki glanced down at her as he locked the car and began to follow.

“You had a fun time, right?”

“The funnest.”

“Because of the monkeys?”

“Because of all of it. The animals were fun, the lunch was fun, even the driving is fun. I like being with you.”

“Yeah? I'm glad, I like being with you too. I'm not very good at saying stuff like that, but I'm gonna try to keep reminding you that we're having fun too. It's not just for you and Yoshiki, okay?”

She nodded, smiling softly as Katsuki carried her between the sliding doors, and Izuku closed it behind them.

“Welcome back, Deku! And is- oh, there you are Dynamite! It's good to see you again!”

“You too!” Izuku grinned, immediately striking up a conversation with the hostess despite Katsuki's sigh. “Oh, right, table!”

“Absolutely, come right in! And- Oh! What adorable children you have! What's your name, hun?”

“My name is Yoshiki,” he answered nervously. “That's Koharu. It's nice to meet you.”

“Aren't you two just the sweetest! Come on through, let's get you a booth at the back, shall we?”

Katsuki set Koharu down when they reached the table, letting her slide along a squishy bench next to Yoshiki while he took his rightful place at Izuku's side. The hostess handed out menus, giving them a last big smile as she returned to her post, and Koharu immediately gasped at all the choices.

“Pick anything you like, whatever looks tasty.”

The kids' menus had lots of bright pictures and easy words on them, Yoshiki's lips moving slightly as he sounded out the words and tried to place them, while Koharu just settled for the pretty pictures. The waitress arrived immediately with a pot of coffee for their local heroes, then turned to smile brightly at the two kids.

“What do you two like to drink? Juice? Milkshakes? Coke?”

Koharu puzzled over the menu for a moment before she finally gave up, looking up at the nice lady instead.

“Do you have apples juice?”

“We sure do!”

“One apples juice please!”

“Certainly! And for you, young man?”

“M-Milkshake?” he stumbled, glancing at Izuku and Katsuki as if they might disapprove. “Chocolate? Please?”

“Absolutely, coming right up!”

He breathed a sigh of relief when she left, turning back to the food section again to continue reading, and Katsuki elbowed Izuku lightly, leaning in close.

“Look, it's you.”

Izuku couldn't help but hear the words over and over in his head, when they headed back to the Home. He knew he'd gotten attached to the kids fast, but he'd never really thought so hard about why, about how much they reminded him of himself at that age. He wouldn't have traded his mother for the world, but he understood how it felt to be missing a parent – he couldn't even begin to imagine missing both – and coupled with the pain of being Quirkless in their society? It was kind of uncanny.

“It's not a bad thing,” Katsuki said knowingly, as he gently scooped Koharu from the back seat. “Look how you turned out.”

“I want them to stay, Kacchan. I don't want to give them back.”

“I know, baby,” Katsuki kissed him sweetly, pressing their foreheads together after. “Soon. Just be patient a little bit longer.”

“I want to give them everything they could ever want.”

“What, and turn them into spoiled brats?”

“You turned out okay, didn't you?”

Katsuki would have slapped him if his arms weren't already occupied, so he settled for levelling him with a stern glare, struggling not to break when Izuku giggled.

“I love you Kacchan.”

“Yeah, I love you too, idiot.”

Koharu sniffled quietly, rubbing at her eyes, and Izuku felt his heart break in two. He didn't want to give them back. He wasn't ready, not yet. Not ever.

“I'm so sorry,” he whispered, as he leaned over to hug her tightly. “I'll see you again soon, I promise. So soon. Send me emails every day, take photos for me so I can see everything, I promise I'll reply straight away.”

“Okay,” she nodded, sniffing again as she pressed her cheek against his chest. “I'll miss you.”

“I'll miss you too, sweetie.”

Yoshiki took her hand at the door, squeezing it lightly, and she transferred her grip to him, holding tightly as the tears fell.

“Real soon,” Katsuki agreed, giving Yoshiki an apologetic look. “Send us photos, like he said.”

“You should send us photos too.”

“Yeah, okay,” he nodded. “We will if you do.”

“Deal,” Yoshiki smiled. “We'll talk to you tomorrow, then.”

“Looking forward to it. Take care of her for us.”

“I always do.”

“I know.”

With a last little wave, Yoshiki stepped inside, stunned when Koharu tore her hand away to throw herself at Katsuki, sobbing as she hugged him tight.

“I know, angel, I'll miss you too.”

“I w-wanted to h-hug y-you goodb-bye.”

“Thank you, I'm glad you did. Next time I'll remember so you don't have to come back, I promise.”

“K-Kay,” she nodded, swallowing hard. “Bye-bye.”

“You have a good week at school. Make sure you both do all your homework.”

“We will.”

She tore herself away and ran back to Yoshiki again, clinging tight as they waved goodbye one last time, heading off up the stairs while the caregiver watched with surprise all through her face.

“We had a great time,” Izuku assured her, his own smile a little watery. “They’ve eaten, they’re probably a little overtired. Can we take them out again soon?”

“Of course,” she nodded. “It seems like you’ve made a real impression.”

“I hope so.”

They said their goodbyes, and the moment the door was closed, Katsuki grabbed Izuku by the hand.

“Don't cry,” he commanded. “Don’t you dare cry, not even a little bit. Not until we're at home where they can't see you.”

“I'll do my best.”

“Or at the very least until we drive off.”

“Okay.”

He squeezed Katsuki's hand, and Katsuki squeezed back just as tightly, dragging him out to the car and waving as they pulled out, just in case.

When he'd rounded a corner or two he pulled over, grimacing as he thumped the dashboard in frustration, and Izuku smiled weakly as he leaned over, resting his head on Katsuki's shoulder.

“Can we start fighting for more, now?”

“Yeah, we can,” Katsuki smiled, his eyes a little watery. “It's time to start being more stubborn. We've just got to be smart about it.”

[Chapter 8]